Today is a special day for five of our community members. They have successfully completed 6 months of drug treatment through our Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI) program and will be graduating!
We have discussed MARI in previous blogs. As a recap, here is what the program entails:
- In 2016, MPD applied for and received a Smart Policing Initiative grant through the Bureau of Justice Assistance.
- The grant was used to fund the MARI program.The MARI program is a PRE-charging program.The goal is to provide treatment to those addicted to heroin in expedited fashion.This, in turn, will interrupt the cycle of addiction in our community and hopefully drive down overdoses and deaths from overdoses.Another byproduct will be the mitigation of property crimes commonly associated with addictive behaviors (e.g., retail theft, theft from auto, burglaries, prostitution)
- MARI is a collaborative effort by MPD, working with a number of other community partners including UW Health, Dane County District Attorney's Office, City of Madison City Attorney's Office, Dane County Public Health and Dane County Social Services.
- MPD officers, when contacting a person addicted to heroin, determines if the individual is eligible for the MARI program.If so, the officer makes the appropriate referral.The individual's charges are held for six months, without referral to the prosecuting agency.If the person stays in treatment for 6 months and does not commit any new crimes, the charges will be dropped.If the person does not successfully complete the program or re-offends, the original charge(s) will be referred for prosecution.
- The goal is to get someone into treatment within 24-72 hours.
Madison, like many other cities, have seen alarming rates of heroin overdoses and deaths. In 2016, MPD responded to 143 known overdoses and 9 deaths. In 2017, this number rose to 259 overdoses and 34 deaths. Year-to-date (January and February 2018) we are aware of 34 known overdoses and 5 deaths.
MARI officially started on September 1, 2017. MPD has identified 48 individuals who were eligible to participate in the program. So far, 18 individuals have taken a step towards recovery by participating in the treatment program; 5 of which are graduating today. Congratulations to the 5 individuals who have completed the hard work to get them to where they are today. We want to wish them and their networks of support the best of luck in the future. We are proud of their resolve to make continue to make affirmative and positive changes.
From 5:30 a.m. on 03/15/2018 through 5:30 a.m. on 03/16/2018, MPD received 452 calls for service. This number does not include parking complaints or 911 misdials. For purposes of clarification, the following abbreviations are short-hand for race designations: W=White, AA=African American, NA=Native American, H=Hispanic, ME=Middle Eastern, A=Asian, MR=Mixed Race, U=Unknown. MPD shifts are staggered as follows: 1st detail=7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 2nd detail=12 p.m. to 8 p.m., 3rd detail=3 p.m. to 11 p.m., 4th detail=8 p.m. to 4 a.m., 5th detail=11 p.m. to 7 a.m.
1) WEST: Assist Police – 6:27 a.m. Officers responded to assist Fitchburg PD with an armed robbery that occurred at the Kwik Trip on Williamsburg Way. The suspect (AAM) fled on foot. Fitchburg PD has lead/jurisdiction on this incident.
2) SOUTH: Found Property – 8:02 a.m. Officers responded to Leopold Elementary School on Post Rd for a found firearm at the far edge of the school's property. The firearm was located and confirmed to be stolen. The firearm was recovered and Fitchburg PD was notified (may be related to an incident in their jurisdiction). Press release completed. Investigation continuing.
3) EAST: Disturbance – 8:11 a.m. Officers responded to LaFollette High School for a disturbance between two students (15 year old AAF and 15 year old AAM). The male juvenile was cited for disorderly conduct. The female juvenile was conveyed to the Juvenile Reception Center and charged with prohibited possession of OC (pepper spray) on school grounds and disorderly conduct.
4) MIDTOWN: Search Warrant/Arrest – 8:17 a.m. SWAT executed a search warrant in the 500 block of S. Midvale Blvd. This warrant was a result of an investigation into computer crimes by the MPD Special Victims Unit (SVU). A suspect (26 year old WM) was subsequently arrested for possession of child pornography. Press release completed. Investigation continuing.
5) NORTH: Check Person – 12:55 p.m. Officers received a request from Journey Mental Health to check the welfare of a suicidal subject (26 year old WM). The subject was contacted and conveyed to a local hospital for a medical clearance prior to a transport to Winnebago starting at approximately 5 p.m. by two MPD officers.
6) NORTH: Mental Health Conveyance – 12:55 p.m. Officers responded to Northport Drive to convey a subject (26 year old WM) to Winnebago, after a medical clearance was obtained from a local hospital. The subject had a pick up/return order in place through Journey Mental Health. Officers (two 3rd detail officers) conveyed the subject to Winnebago at approximately 5:15 p.m.
7) NORTH: Mental Health Conveyance – 2:03 p.m. MPD Educational Resource Officer (ERO) assisted with a suicidal student at school. The student (17 year old AAF) was conveyed to a local hospital for an evaluation. The juvenile was ultimately released to the care/custody of her parent with a safety plan in place.
8) NORTH: Adult Arrested Person – 6:05 p.m. Officers responded to the 2100 block of E. Johnson St for a subject (38 year old WM) having an overdose. The subject/suspect admitted to using heroin and was in possession of drug paraphernalia. The suspect was conveyed to a local hospital for a medical clearance and then to jail for charges of possession of heroin, possession of drug paraphernalia and an outstanding warrant. The suspect was also referred to the Madison Addiction Recovery Initiative (MARI)
9) MIDTOWN: Domestic Disturbance – 8:24 p.m. Officers responded to Midvale Blvd for a domestic disturbance between two subjects (47 year old WF victim and her 53 year old AAM boyfriend/suspect). The suspect got upset that the victim did not make him dinner. The suspect caused a disturbance by yelling and overturning a kitchen table. The victim reported other concerning behaviors/violence towards her from the suspect. The suspect fled prior to officers' arrival. The suspect was located and arrested for domestic disorderly conduct, stalking, obstructing and a probation hold.
10) WEST: Weapons Offense/Shots Fired – 9:34 p.m. Officers responded to the 6700 block of Raymond Rd for numerous reports of shots fired. Area searched; no damage, injuries or evidence of shots fired was located. Additional canvassing of the area may be needed during daylight hours. Investigation continuing.
11) SOUTH: Missing Adult – 2:14 a.m. Dispatch received a call where the caller was concerned about the welfare of her sister. The complainant's sister was messaging her that she was with some males in a vehicle and they refused to take her home. Several agencies assisted with attempting to locate the vehicle/subjects. The vehicle was located in Fitchburg but the subjects were not located. Phone pings conducted. Areas checked but again no subjects were located. Fitchburg Police taking the lead on this investigation. Investigation continuing.